Synageva BioPharma Announces Closing of Public Offering and Exercise of Option to Purchase Additiona

Synageva BioPharma Announces Closing of Public Offering and Exercise of Option to Purchase Additional Shares

LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Synageva BioPharma Corp. ("Synageva") (NAS: GEVA) , a biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic products for rare disorders, today announced the closing of a $179 million underwritten public offering of 3.16 million shares of common stock, including 412,500 shares of common stock that were issued pursuant to the exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares, at a price of $56.63 per share.

Goldman, Sachs & Co. acted as the sole book-running manager in the offering. Morgan Stanley & Co., Cowen and Company, and Canaccord Genuity Inc. acted as co-managers in the offering.

The securities described above were offered by Synageva pursuant to a Form S-3 shelf registration statement (including a base prospectus) previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The final prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus related to this offering is available for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC's website located at www.sec.gov. Copies of the final prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus may also be obtained from the offices of Goldman, Sachs & Co.; by mail, Attn: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282; by facsimile: 212-902-9316; by email: prospectus-ny@ny.email.gs.com; or by calling: 866-471-2526.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

About sebelipase alfa for LAL Deficiency

Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL Deficiency) is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease (LSD) caused by a marked decrease in LAL enzyme activity. LAL Deficiency in children and adults, sometimes called Cholesteryl Ester Storage Disease (CESD), is an underappreciated cause of cirrhosis and accelerated atherosclerosis. These complications are due to the buildup of fatty material in the liver, blood vessel walls and other tissues and organs as a result of decreased LAL enzyme activity. Infants with LAL Deficiency, sometimes called Wolman disease, suffer from the most rapidly progressive form of LAL Deficiency which is usually fatal within the first six months of life. Affected infants develop severe malabsorption, growth failure and liver failure.

Sebelipase alfa (SBC-102) is a recombinant form of the human LAL enzyme being developed by Synageva as an enzyme replacement therapy for LAL Deficiency. Synageva is evaluating sebelipase alfa in global Phase 3 clinical trials in infants, children and adults with LAL Deficiency. Sebelipase alfa has been granted orphan designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Additionally, sebelipase alfa received fast track designation by the FDA, and Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA for early onset LAL Deficiency.

About SBC-103 for MPS IIIB

The mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) consist of a group of rare LSDs caused by a deficiency of enzymes needed to break down complex sugars called glycosaminoglycans. The MPS III syndromes (also known as Sanfilippo syndromes) share complications with other MPS diseases but represent a clinically distinct subset with marked central nervous system degeneration. Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB (MPS IIIB, also known as Sanfilippo B syndrome) is caused by a marked decrease in alpha-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAGLU) enzyme activity which leads to the buildup of abnormal sugars called heparan sulfate disaccharides (HSD) in the brain and other organs. The accumulation of abnormal HSD, particularly in the central nervous system, leads to severe cognitive decline, behavioral problems, speech loss, increasing loss of mobility, and premature death.

SBC-103 is a recombinant form of the human NAGLU enzyme being developed by Synageva as an enzyme replacement therapy for MPS IIIB. Using various dosing approaches, SBC-103 reduced HSD substrate storage in the brains, liver and kidney tissues in an MPS IIIB animal model. SBC-103 has been granted orphan designation by the FDA and the EMA. Synageva plans to be in clinical trials with SBC-103 during the first half of 2014.

About Synageva's additional pipeline programs and manufacturing platform

Synageva's additional pipeline programs include other proteins targeting rare diseases at various stages of preclinical development. These diseases are characterized by significant morbidity and mortality and these programs are selected based on scientific rationale, high unmet medical need, potential to impact disease course and strategic alignment with our corporate focus. In addition to these novel pipeline programs, Synageva is leveraging its manufacturing platform to develop improved biologic therapies for diseases with high unmet medical need.

Synageva's proprietary manufacturing platform utilizes technology to produce drug product with consistent characteristics that enable robustness and flexibility during scale-up. In addition, the platform can provide favorable structural properties for bio-distribution and cell targeting in comparison to glycoproteins produced from other sources.

Synageva routinely posts information that may be important to investors in the "Investor Relations" section of our web site at www.synageva.com. Synageva encourages investors and potential investors to consult our web site regularly for important information about us.

Further information regarding Synageva BioPharma Corp. is available at www.synageva.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements". Such statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "expect," "plan," "could," "intend," "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "forecast," "project," or words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements address, among other matters, our plans to enter into human clinical trials for MPS IIIB during the first half of 2014, our plans for leveraging the platform to develop improved biologic therapies and our belief that our platform can provide favorable structural properties for bio-distribution and cell targeting in comparison to glycoproteins produced from other sources. Many factors may cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements, including inaccurate assumptions and a broad variety of risks and uncertainties, some of which are known, including, the possibility that preclinical data or regulatory delays cause our MPS IIIB program to not enter human clinical trials in the first half of 2014, the ability to maintain the current favorable protein structural properties for bio-distribution and cell targeting as compared to glycoproteins produced from other sources, the ability to rely on Breakthrough Therapy designation the implications of which cannot be determined at this time, and the risks identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus supplement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on September 25, 2013 and other filings Synageva periodically makes with the SEC, and others of which are not known. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future results or events, and investors should avoid placing undue reliance on such statements. Synageva undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Our business is subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, including those referenced above. Investors, potential investors, and others should give careful consideration to these risks and uncertainties.

"Dedicated to Rare Diseases®" is a registered trademark of Synageva BioPharma Corp. "Synageva BioPharma™" is a trademark of Synageva BioPharma Corp.

Synageva BioPharma Corp.
Matthew Osborne, 781-357-9947
matthew.osborne@synageva.com

KEYWORDS: United States North America Massachusetts

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

The article Synageva BioPharma Announces Closing of Public Offering and Exercise of Option to Purchase Additional Shares originally appeared on Fool.com.

Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.